Miami Dolphins
Greatest Player: Dan Marino
Dan Marino will likely be remembered as the best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl. He almost single-handedly made the Dolphins relevant for long stretches of his 17-year career. It’s actually amazing that he remained on the board until the 27th pick of the 1983 NFL Draft, even in a draft that included a few other quarterbacks of note.
Marino still owns about a dozen NFL records, including the most wins by a starting quarterback on Monday Night Football, meaning he shined under the brightest lights. He also retired owning a couple dozen other records and should never be overlooked in the conversation about the top quarterbacks of all-time.
Miami Dolphins
Runner Up: Larry Csonka
There was a moment in Larry Csonka’s rookie year where he almost gave up professional football entirely, due to a string of injuries and inconsistent play. But when the great Don Shula tweaked Csonka’s running style, Csonka never missed a game from then on, leading his Miami Dolphins in rushing the next five seasons.
Between 1971 and 1973, he ran for more than 1,000 yards each season, and was the engine that powered the Dolphins offense during the three straight seasons they made it to the Super Bowl (1971 through 1973). Over his 11-year NFL career, Csonka carried the ball 1,891 times for 8,081 yards and 64 touchdowns. He also caught 106 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns. He was among the NFL’s top 10 ranked players in rushing yards four times, in rushing touchdowns five times, total touchdowns three times and yards from the line of scrimmage once.